I read Matt Witten’s debut novel The Necklace and was blown away. It went straight into my top five books of 2021. When I heard his second novel was available I knew I had to read it.

The prologue introduced us to the main character Petra who launches a podcast to investigate the murder of controversial YouTuber ‘Livvy’ who she loved like a sister.

What I love about Matt Witten’s writing is it’s very on trend. He pulls you straight into the story by using current themes in the news and on social media. The use of podcasts was a main theme and it’s what encompassed the whole story as news reporter Petra tried to break the story of the century.

The author is a master at character building, pulling off a female teenager and Petra too was a great character. The dialogue is wonderful and has a really authentic feel between the characters.

My only criticism is this book was more of a slow burn through the middle of the storyline compared to his debut.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes next.

I thought overall this book was very good, It was one of the best books I have read over the summer so far. The best part about this book is the ending which was surprising. Overall, Loved it.

Petra is a struggling journalist with an inside source on this years most sensational murder. Can she ride this inside knowledge to achieve the success and glory that has eluded her? How far is she willing to go?

Loved the premise, really didn’t like or identify with the characters. Solid mystery that kept me guessing until the end. Overall, entertaining read.

My thanks to Net Galley, Oceanview Publishing and Mr. Wooten for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Killer Story in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

This was a thrill ride that never let up. I grew really attached to Petra and her struggles in finding Olivia's murder felt like my own. Admittedly, the first like, 10% of the book is a massive info dump, but once that's over and the story gets rolling, it's hard to put it down. The ending is going to divide people, I think, but I enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for letting me read this copy, but my thoughts are my own.

I always enjoys when author writes books that relates with technology or social development situations. This is my first read from Matt Witten and I am sure not the last. Killer Story is a thrilling story about journalist who tried reopen cold crime case. I enjoyed my reading time I spent with this book and let me break down some of the points about it.

1. Struggling journalists with grey morale as main character who torn between journalists ethics, get big popularity and save her career, or genuine solve her old friend murder. I am glad after all emotion up and down, she take the best route to being honest with her self.
2. An annoying youtuber as victim. Yes this story give alot spotlight about how fast growing internet and social media as public medium to spreading some informations also sensitive issues, ruining someone's life and to help some crimes investigations.
3. Real passive aggressive competition in workplaces. I personally enjoy the idea using true crimes podcast style as way to open cold cases and solve all mysteries. And I always enjoyed good competitions plot.
4. The pace is my most favorite, very fast and keep kicking me to edge chair this end of the book. The plot and all twists successful keep me intrigued.

This is a thrilling story of a crime that must be solved. You guess immediately who did it. After reading a bit more it was someone else. But go on reading, you recognize that it was a third person. This keeps up until only on the very last page when you discover who really is the culprit. Or do you? The author keeps the story going at a crisp pace so that it is difficult to put the book down. As a byproduct of reading, you will learn about modern podcasting as well as present day journalism.

Thanks @netgalley for read number 67 of 2022. While I’m not a fan of true crime, I do love some novels about true crime podcasts. This one did not disappoint. Although I anticipated a twist at the end, I did not guess the ending. I did struggle with some views of the victim and some choices that the reporter made, but it was interesting to hear the thinking throughout. Lots of great cliffhangers in here. This book was hard to put down. I’m still debating on if I wanted a little more from the conclusion. This was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 read for me. A very enjoyable summer read! (Do note that there are quite a few typos, but this is still the unproofed copy. It can make it a little harder to read at times, but I kind of liked the challenge.) I need to check out this author’s other book.

I am a new reader to author Matt Witten and am thrilled to have been introduced to his work! This story is one that is complex and winding, but keeps you engaged the entire time. I found it hard to walk away or put the book down!

Most books, movies, and TV shows that portray podcast hosts cast them in a very Hollywood light. Petra's character here was relatable and seemed to be the most real portrayal of what an investigative journalist may face personally and some times even morally while working to create content and do their own investigation. Petra goes to great lengths (sometimes too great of lengths) to solve a murder while trying to make a name for herself. You find yourself cheering for her and hopeful she continues on her path, even though she has faced many obstacles and roadblocks along the way. While her choices aren't always the best, you keep hoping the best for her.

After reading this book, I will definitely be checking out Matt's other work(s)! I can't wait to see what he puts out next.

Matt Whitten did it again with this nail biting thriller. We are in the era of the podcast. True Crime and Murder Mysteries reign supreme. But just how far are the creators willing to go for content?

Petra gives us an in depth and behind the scenes account of the volatile world of journalism. You will see just how blurred the lines can become chasing your next piece of evidence for the latest episode.

This story seriously had me doubling back, rereading chapters and scratching my head with every turn of the page. The moment you think you’ve figured it out you’re right back to square one.

This is one will keep you on the edge of your seat and have you looking at podcasters and journalists in a whole new light. Prepare for one hell of an ending!

How far will she go to catch the killer—and make her podcast a hit?
Petra Kovach, a talented and idealistic young reporter, is on the brink of being laid off from her third failing newspaper in a row. To save her job, she pitches the launch of a true crime podcast about a sensational, unsolved murder.
Years earlier, an alt-right YouTuber was killed in her Harvard dorm room, and the case went cold. Petra knew the victim—she was once her camp counselor and loved her like a little sister, despite their political differences.
Petra's investigation gets off to a rocky start, as her promising leads quickly shrivel up. In her passionate quest for justice—and clicks—Petra burns sources and breaks laws, ultimately putting her own life on the line. Even as her star rises, she worries it could all come crashing down at any moment if her actions are exposed.
When her machinations start to backfire, there's only one way to fix everything and solve the murder—even though it may cost her everything she loves.
Since I had read The Necklace, I was eager to read Killer Story. It did not disappoint. Petra Kovach is the type of person who knows what a podcast needs and she is bound and determined to make it work. She ends up vying for her job with Natalie and Dave working against her. I got caught up with Petra's story from the beginning and finished reading it in one sitting. I am looking forward to my next Matt Witten story as he is a remarkable writer. Thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for a copy for an honest review.

THE KILLER STORY follows struggling journalist (and absolute bloody nightmare) Petra Kovach, who resolves to escape the crosshairs of her third consecutive layoff by launching a true-crime podcast investigation into the unsolved murder of Olivia Anderson, an infamous alt-right YouTube influencer whom Petra mentored at journalism camp when she was younger. While Petra scrambles to unmask Olivia's killer and secure enough views to justify keeping her job, she also reckons with various personal trials, the pressures and inconsistency of Internet fame, and a moral consciousness that flips with the wind.

The one thing this book has got going for it is its compulsive readability; as many problems as I had with it, I could not force myself to put it down. The plot and chapters are structured in such a way as to just naturally keep kicking you from one movement into the next without interruption, and actually the pacing of it all felt really strong. In that respect, this was a super quick and easy read. (I'd hesitate to call it a 'thriller', though; it's more of a procedural, in a really basic, fanfiction-y kind of way. But I can see where other readers might disagree.)

Unfortunately, Petra's character... I mean, to put it plainly, she sucked. My disbelief is not capable of the Olympics-level gymnastics that would be required for me (or any reader, I think) to come out of this book believing that even the smallest, minutest segment of Petra's behaviour was okay or justified. She made so many terrible moral choices and violated so many professional ethical standards that it became almost exhausting to continue pretending to care about who killed Olivia, because past a certain point all I really wanted was for somebody to kill Petra. And it would be one thing if I felt like hating her was the point, but there were so many awkward references to "Olivia deserving justice" and "Olivia was my best friend", so many invocations of Petra's own requisite Tragic Backstory, that I really do think the author was trying to convince me that her whole investigation was some sort of ultimate service to truth. And that destroying lives without proof, publishing material and interviews without consent or corroboration, is totally fine as long as you actually get the guy in the end. (It isn't. And umm, sir, Petra is the literal worst.)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a digital copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

This thrilling novel follows a journalist who displays deep hunger and passion for the potential to discover the truth behind the murder of her well-known acquaintance, an infamous YouTuber. In a desperate attempt to save her reporting career, Petra Kovach pitches the idea of a true-crime podcast, one that explores the depth behind this unsolved murder, and her trials lie within both her office, as well as weaving in between the lies that are told by each potential suspect. The realistic and riveting tale of the web of suspicion that is a part of journalism becomes foggily clear in this deliciously captivating novel as Matt Witten provides thrills with every sentence.

I am potentially a biased and unreliable source to be considered a reviewer of this phenomenal book, due to my fascination with the law, justice, and true crime. But that only mirrors the realistic unreliability and emotional instabilities of a narrator and protagonist such as Petra Kovach. The first-person perspective of this story can pull the readers in as the thematic strands of corrupt justice systems and the unrealistic standards of the press are explored, especially as it ponders the question: How far is a reporter willing to go for fame? The realism is only the beginning of such a riveting tale, as the plot continues with the moral and ethical instabilities that are displayed in each character as their turn in the spotlight for murder, becomes highlighted by such a "justice-hungry" reporter like Petra Kovach. While I usually read thrillers with some hesitation, because I often obsess over the facts, the author's mindset, and formulate evidence charts in my head for extended periods of time, so much so that I discover the culprits within only a few chapters, this book captivated me in ways that almost no other thriller could. I had my suspicions proven right and right again, but reading the author's expression of such drastic events made the novel itself unable to leave my hands, from start to finish. I was so eager to give this five stars, but it was sadly missed by just a little mark. There was not enough closure at the end and I firmly believe that with at least 7 more pages of closure, my rating would have been at its maximum point, rather than being a solid 4.5 stars.

Overall, I think that everyone should read this book. I'm not kidding, there's so much interest within these pages that I desperately want more people to come across them. The questioning about the reliability of the press and journalists is something that has fogged the mind of almost every individual, and I think that this novel does a magnificent job of touching on such a current-day topic. This book is highly recommended by me, and I truly hope that it gets the love that it deserves upon publishing. I am eternally grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with the opportunity to read this phenomenal story.

Petra Kovach, a struggling journalist trying to protect herself from yet another layoff, lands upon the bright idea of launching a podcast to explore a shocking unsolved murder. The victim? An up and coming young alt-right YouTuber named Olivia Anderson, a college freshman at Harvard who Petra had mentored in a summer journalism program several years earlier. Scrambling to solve the murder while creating podcast episodes that would attract a massive audience, Petra struggles to maintain control of her project. Along the way she violates every possible professional ethical standard, causes serious harm to innocent people, destroys all of her personal relationships and most of her professional ones, and actively obscures justice to create a storyline that better serves her twisted purposes.

I struggled with this book because of the main character's willingness to completely abandon any sense of morals or ethics in pursuit of a story that would launch her into journalistic fame. From reading the author's note, it doesn't seem likely that this book was intended to shine a spotlight on the corrupt, sensationalist nature of the true crime entertainment industry, but if you used to enjoy true crime and are horrified by what it's become as more people turn to it for quick profit and fame, you might enjoy reading what happens to Petra by the end of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

As a true crime fan, I was really excited to read this story. I was hooked right away, and there were so many twists that I stayed hooked. Petra’s character definitely had good intentions but wow did she make me mad a few times. You always hear how reporters are sleazy, and she definitely fit the bill once or twice. Overall, this was a quick and entertaining read and definitely something I will recommend to other suspense and/or crime fans.

I liked the description of this book and was excited to start it. Right from the get go the story seemed rushed and didn’t build up, more like an info dump. Again I really like the concept of a murder and then podcast to solve it, however couldn’t get on board with the writing style of this author. Definitely great potential I just felt it could have been more realistic and better paced.

Matt Witten's previous book The Necklace is one of my books of 2022 so I couldn't wait to read this.

A deeply involving and unusual thriller based around Petra Kovach, a young journalist struggling to stay in work. Facing yet another redundancy she comes up with the idea to create a podcast investigating the unsolved murder of college student Olivia Anderson.

Petra first met Olivia on a student journalism boot camp. Petra the mentor and Olivia the bright eyed idealistic teenager. In the intervening years Olivia veered to the alt-Right, finding fame hosting a popular video blog.

It's an intricate and involving story, very well told. Petra pursues the leads and faces personal, moral and editorial challenges as she attempts to uncover the truth and justice, and keep the revenue coming in for her newspaper.

She's not in control of her personal or professional life and is pushed to the limits by her fears and new-found fame.

I've read a few thrillers involving podcasts and social media celebrities, this is definitely the best, it's integral to the story instead of being tacked as a plot device. The challenges faced by a journalist and the moral dilemmas are also fascinating.

It's unusual, involving and extremely rewarding. Definitely recommended and I look forwards to reading whatever Matt Witten writes next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing

Thank you NetGalley and Ocean view Publishing for the eARC.
This was my second book by Matt Written (I loved The Necklace, great read) and enjoyed it even though I've never listened to a Podcast.
Petra Kovich, a journalist, is fired from her umpteenth job and out of desperation tells her boss she has a killer story for a podcast and is given a reprieve. She trying to unmask the killer who murdered a girl she met when the girl was fourteen, whom she loved. Now she wants justice for her and to kick start her flagging career.
Desperate and fighting off a fellow journalist who is sly and the boss' favorite, she does things she never thought she'd do.
This book is very timely; with social media, the hunt for click bites, the dying of print media, the alt right movement and the things people will do for recognition. Made me glad I'm not on social media!
Definitely recommended!

Despite being fired from her last three jobs Petra is determined to make it as a journalist, but when she’s called into her bosses Dave’s office and it looks like she’s going to be fired for a fourth time she knows she must do something. Her boyfriend Jonah despite moving to each new location with her wants to settle down and not to mention Petra doesn’t at all want to be fired again. So she pulls out her biggest spiel ever she tells Dave she was the camp counselor to olive oil an alt blogger on YouTube who was murdered and she knows if she does a series of articles and a podcast she may get them to open up the case that was left with no convictions In despite a professor being brought to trial for her murder she doesn’t believe he is the killer, as a matter of a fact she soon comes up with a new suspect. Dave Goelz for it and although ambivalent about it he soon is congratulating Petra on her great podcast and article. She never saw the podcast going as far as it did and so fast and so but if she said on her first podcast to her stepdad had been raping her since she was 14. It may ruin his life but it’s all to get justice right? The further her podcast goes the more lives she ruins including outing a football player and siding with the rapist although she is hurting people she keeps saying I’m just trying to get justice for Olivia but her outrageous tactics will start affecting her life as well. This book reminded me of the boy who cried Wolf because every new podcast she had a new suspect that’s not to say this wasn’t good it totally was good and I read it in one sitting. Usually when I have long books I will read half and then start a new one but this one I couldn’t put down I’ve read it all the way through and OMG what a thrill ride it was. I didn’t agree with Petra at all and I liked her coworker Natalie even less I couldn’t wait to see how it ended and it was a thrilling ending. I would’ve liked it better I think Ed Natalie got her con ce but her tactics are approved up in journalism and I guess being a shady back stabber is par for the course but in any event this is a definite most read book! This book is the reason they call the genre thriller because this is like I said totally and absolutely thrilling! Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own I was given this book by net Gally and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Having never read this author before, I was scrolling thru and happened to glimpse a few key words that triggered my interest. I slowed down and read the synopsis and figured, why not? It sounds like something right up my alley. Lately that’s anything that has a podcast theme to it. I am so glad I took a chance. His book keep me enthralled and turning the pages far past my bedtime. This book is a must read for anyone who loves a journalist or podcaster who is trying to solve an unsolved murder. The parts that focused on journalism in the modern age and social media added many layers to this complex and suspenseful story. Get ready for some twists and turns and an ending you won’t see coming.

A really enjoyable read! A tricky mystery with a relatable, modern setting. Very hard to put down and the ending does not disappoint.